Baguio Redux

Almost everyone has been to Baguio. Before Boracay became the preferred playground of the beaten and the beatific denizens of blistering Manila, she ruled our summers with her crown of clouds, cool morning mist, log cabins, horses at Wright Park, and strawberries. I particularly remember riding a bike for the first time at Burnham Park, and falling off the boat later in the pond. I also remember pointing angrily at an aunt’s camera while the drenched, embarrassed me was being toweled dry. I don’t recall how old I was (but I was still in grade school then) and the picture has long been lost. But the first memories of Baguio will always remain vivid for the boy who was plucked out of the water with seaweed on his hands.

Though I made a trip to Baguio in August last year, it felt like I haven’t been there in decades. Thus, when I was asked to go up again to the City of Pines in the middle of sweltering May, I selfishly snagged the chance. After all, I have been toying with the idea of eating at Don Henrico’s on Session Road again and scour the wagwagans that have mushroomed in the city. I was to spend three days in Baguio City alone with office concerns packed in my bag, a rush assignment beeping on my mobile phone, and Episode 2: Attack of the Clones in my VCD player.

A gray dawn

City Travel Hotel is perched high on Kisad Road and right behind Burnham Park. I was given unit 309, a room with a panoramic view of Burnham, Session Road beyond the football field, and the towering Baguio Cathedral just off to the left. A gray dawn revealed several carnival rides on the park and what looked like a mini-rollercoaster was already making its test run. I worried that it might rain but I quickly threw the thought out of the window – it was time to get some sleep after a long overnight ride.

Over a sumptuous lunch of burger steak and strawberry milkshake, City Travel Hotel’s Rene de la Cruz shared that Baguio is still the destination of choice among those who want to have a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan life. Summer tourism remains at a profitable level through May though the traditional peak period happens during March and Holy Week. However, occupancy rates likewise go up even in the rainy season and more so in December.

"Baguio’s biggest attraction has always been its climate," pointed out De la Cruz as he rebutted my observation that there seemed to be nothing new in the City of Pines. "I think that’s what makes people come back here."

City Travel Hotel has been in operation for only a year but De la Cruz reported that business had been quite well, so much so that there are already plans to build high-end suites also on Kisad Road. Improvements on the hotel are also underway such as the installation of Internet-ready lines in each room. However, the hotel now boasts of several facilities that have proven to be hot hits among visitors. Hotel occupants can sweat it out in cold-weathered Baguio in the hotel gym or sauna, or float worries away at the jacuzzi. For families or large parties, City Travel Hotel likewise offers a choice of rooms from standard to spacious family and presidential suites. You can also sing the night away at the Gecko, the hotel’s music and piano bar.

They say that you can’t put all the clouds in your head. At City Travel Hotel, indeed, you can put your head among the clouds.

On the city streets

City Travel Hotel also provides the perfect opportunity to explore the city. At 4 p.m., when the afternoon chill started to set in, I decided to put on my jacket and take a walk. Session Road and its range of establishments are just 10 minutes away if you walk right through Burnham Park.

Baguio, many people say, is not what it used to be. Even The STAR’s Baguio correspondent-photographer, Andy Zapata, opines that a certain degree of decay has crept into the city. The most obvious sign of this was the flash flood that drowned the lower portion of Session Road and most of Magsaysay Avenue last year.

But Baguio seems to grow old with you. The traditional attractions still pull crowds – Burnham still gets its share of park marauders, Wright Park still has its horses and riders – but visitors should check the city’s other offerings, particularly the nightlife on Session Road. You might not go for the park rides that thrilled you as a kid, but Baguio’s bars, restaurants and clubs provide the same level of fun and entertainment that you always find in Manila – without the traffic and exorbitant parking fees.

Andy and I decided to land at Rumours Café. We joined Inquirer’s Frank Cimatu and two other journalists. The talk later veered on the reasons why Gen. Roy Cimatu was appointed as Armed Forces chief of staff. I, on the other hand, was concocting excuses to tell my boss so I could extend my stay.

"There are many reasons why you’ll hate leaving Baguio," I wrote on a piece of tissue paper. "1. Hauling bulky bags to the bus station after a marathon shopping spree in the Baguio public market. 2. The long bus ride home. 3. Baguio is one damn cool place that never goes out of season."